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Microsoft PowerToys

Access to this page requires authorization. You can try changing directories . Access to this page requires authorization. You can try signing in or changing directories . Microsoft PowerToys: Utilities to customize Windows Microsoft PowerToys is a set of free Microsoft Windows utilities for power users to tune and streamline their Windows experience for greater productivity. These utilities and shell enhancement tools are designed to help you customize Windows 10 and Windows 11 to suit your

This PowerToys update just ended Windows hotkey conflicts for good - and more

Lance Whitney / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET's key takeaways PowerToys now offers a way to resolve hotkey conflicts. The new version adds a search box to help you find specific tools. The next version will let you schedule light and dark modes. As a diehard Windows user, I love hotkeys and keyboard shortcuts. Pressing Ctrl+S to save a file, Ctrl+V to paste content from the clipboard, and Ctrl+X to cut content are all tremendous ti

Microsoft’s PowerToys are about to add two big missing Windows features

is a senior editor and author of Notepad , who has been covering all things Microsoft, PC, and tech for over 20 years. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Have you ever wanted Windows 11 to automatically switch between light and dark modes based on a schedule, or help you find keyboard shortcut conflicts? Well, Microsoft is about to solve both of these missing Windows features with PowerToys. The latest 0.94 release of PowerToys, the useful

Experts Horrified by AI-Powered Toys for Children

Though talking toys are nothing new, a fresh crop of AI-enabled playthings have entered the scene, making the "Chatty Cathy" and "Teddy Ruxpin" dolls of yesteryear, which were merely reciting pre-programmed phrases, look positively paleontological. More than a decade after "My Friend Cayla" — a Bluetooth-enabled and Wi-Fi-connected doll that became "verboten in Deutschland" in 2017 for being a potential espionage device — Mattel and OpenAI's newly-announced partnership to "reimagine the future

Labubu could make $1B this year

In Brief Labubu is a plush monster toy, but it’s also on track to be a billion-dollar business. This week, Labubu maker Pop Mart released its financial results for the first half of 2025, giving the public more insight into just how rabid the world is for this plush monster toy. Pop Mart’s Monsters series, which includes Labubu, generated around $670 million in revenue in the first half of the year, putting it on track to earn over $1 billion by year’s end. That’s a 688% increase year-over-yea

Topics: labubu mart pop toys year

Labubu could make $1 billion this year

In Brief Labubu is a plush monster toy, but it’s also on track to be a billion-dollar business. This week, Labubu-maker Pop Mart released its financial results for the first half of 2025, giving the public more insight into just how rabid the world is for this plush monster toy. Pop Mart’s Monsters series, which includes Labubu, generated around $670 million in revenue in the first half of the year, putting it on track to earn over $1 billion by the year’s end. That’s a 688% increase year-over

Topics: labubu mart pop toys year

Horror Story Looms as Children Get Stuffed Animals Powered by AI

From Steven Spielberg's creepy "AI" (2001) to M3GAN (2022), toys imbued with artificial intelligence have been a source of fascination and terror in pop culture for decades. Now, in the face of all those cautionary tales, a new class of vaguely menacing chatty toys are being sold online — but unlike the "Gremlin"-esque Furbies of yore, these are powered by cutting-edge AI, and their danger quotient lies in what they may tell children or share with outside companies. As the New York Times repor

Hasbro’s Nano-Mals are a virtual pet that rewards fidgeting

Since the original Tamagotchi landed on store shelves 28 years ago, not much has changed in the world of virtual pets. The basic gameplay remains, with players being asked to feed, groom and play with small digital creatures inside a handheld device. But new features have also been added, like Bluetooth connectivity and downloadable content (they're also a little bigger than before). This month, however, Hasbro is throwing its hat into the ring with the Nano-Mals, a $20 device that takes the sta

Nintendo's upcoming app lets kids smoosh Mario's face

Nintendo just announced a forthcoming app called Hello Mario! that's headed to iOS, Android and the Switch in Japan. The free app seems pretty basic, as it's just a giant Mario head that users can poke and prod. That sounds eerily reminiscent of the intro screen of Super Mario 64. The company says that Mario will react in various ways based on player input. His face will even turn "around and around on the screen" when manhandled. Nintendo says "parents and young children" should play together

40 Best Toys for Kids in 2025: Our Editors Found the Hottest Gift Ideas for All Ages

Best kids' toys overall Hex Bots Wall Crawler Gecko CNET's Bridget Carey says this won her over "both as a mom and as someone who delights in making my co-workers squirm." By using a remote -- that can be as far as 25 feet away -- you can make it scale walls or perform spin tricks, she explains. To charge it, there's a USB-C port and you'll need two AAA batteries for the remote. Read our review here. $25 at Walmart Close RealFX Disney Stitch Not just any puppet -- this amazing 18-inch-tall Sti

Hot Toys Just Gave Us Our Best Look Yet at Galactus Ahead of ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’

Whenever a highly anticipated comic book film is released, toy manufacturers often reveal the looks of the main heroes and villains before they appear on the big screen. And like clockwork, Hot Toys has carried on that tradition by revealing The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ Galactus in all his celestial glory. Okay, we can’t entirely blame Hot Toys here. AMC theaters merchandised the Marvel big bad by transforming his big noggin into a popcorn bucket. And before that, Lego joined in on the mark

The Best Cat Toys for Your Furry Friend (2025)

Cats are beautiful, interesting, weird creatures. They're also very picky. Finding cat toys that they'll actually play with is tough, especially with the sheer oversaturation of the pet market today. Cats require a specific environment to play, scratch, and relax. Based on years of testing with our cats, these are our favorite WIRED-approved, tech-y cat toys (and furniture). Even if our cats rejected a particular product, we still examined overall construction, design, and value to determine whe

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Child Welfare Experts Horrified by Mattel's Plans to Add ChatGPT to Toys After Mental Health Concerns for Adult Users

Is Mattel endangering your kid's development by shoving AI into its toys? The multi-billion dollar toymaker, best known for its brands Barbie and Hot Wheels, announced that it had signed a deal to collaborate with ChatGPT-creator OpenAI last week. Now, some experts are raising fears about the risks of thrusting such an experimental technology — and one with a growing list of nefarious mental effects — into the hands of children. "Mattel should announce immediately that it will not incorporate

Toy-maker Mattel accused of planning “reckless” AI social experiment on kids

After Mattel and OpenAI announced a partnership that would result in an AI product marketed to kids, a consumer rights advocacy group is warning that the collaboration may endanger children. It remains unclear what shape Mattel's first-ever AI product will take. But on Tuesday, Public Citizen co-President Robert Weissman issued a statement urging more transparency so that parents can prepare for potential risks. Weissman is particularly concerned that ChatGPT-fueled toys could hurt kids in unkn